


Going Home

by Pokypup49



Series: A Normal Life [10]
Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: Casual Living, F/M, Home, Nates a mystery, Not what we expected...., casual conversation, so many questions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2018-05-20
Packaged: 2019-05-09 12:12:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14715827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pokypup49/pseuds/Pokypup49
Summary: Nate takes Elena to his apartment in Florida. She finds herself asking more questions at every turn, and he finds himself more comfortable with her.





	Going Home

**Author's Note:**

> I do NOT, and will never, own Uncharted or any of the characters. But, damn, aren't they fun to write about!?

                She watched him as they calmly walked towards Customs. If she did what he did professionally, she’d be sweating bullets. She’d be giving all the officer’s obvious clues, clearly indicating her guilt. And still, even though she was _mostly_ innocent, she was still having a hard time not feeling a little paranoid. Him, on the other hand, stood calmly, holding his bag over his shoulder, as he sighed at the lines. She felt her palms sweat. There was no reason to fear anything. She was an American citizen. She wasn’t smuggling drugs, guns, or anything that the little sign to her right warned. But it was guilty by association, wasn’t it? And although she was 80% sure of what Nathan had in his bag, the 2% uncertainty made her stomach twist.

                “I hate people,” Nate muttered as he reached into his pocket to grab his passport. He had many, but he was only carrying this one, this time. He wanted to tell her how he usually avoided Customs, flew low, under the radar, and made sure with Sullivan to fly into ports that were not so heavily regulated, but this wasn’t the place. And he was sure that she already knew that. He smirked but then frowned. It would have been that way if he hadn’t gotten Sully’s plane destroyed to begin with.

                “Next!”

                They were still a few more places to go. Everything was mostly automated and electronic. The need to even speak to someone was minimal. Still, the officer to Elena’s left was looking at her. She nodded the acknowledgement and smiled. She’d travelled out of the states so many times. It started when she was eight, and her father took the family to Germany. That’s when her love for treasures and history began. But she was sure that Nathan had some outstanding warrant out for his scalp. She was sure that when they got up there, they’d scan their passports, and a giant cage would drop mystically from the ceiling and trap Nathan Drake. _That’s not a looney thought at all,_ she joked to herself.  

                And just like that, they were through.

                “I didn’t know you had a residence in America,” Elena said as they exited the Airport. “I always imagined that you had a place in Brazil, or France, or maybe Russia.” She joked as she followed his casual steps.

                He laughed in return and looked around for the sign to the parking garage. “Well, almost.”

                “Almost? What is that supposed to mean?”

                Nate didn’t stop walking as he turned his head to grin at her. “Legally, I have residences in Florida, London, Ecuador, and Australia.”

                “There are places that aren’t legal?”

                “Russia does not take kindly to Americans owning property or apartments that we visit once or twice a year.” He turned and entered the moving walkway. He stopped walking, leaned against the moving rail, and grinned at her.

                “You only visit the Florida apartment once or twice a year?”

                Nate shrugged and nodded slightly.

                Elena rubbed her face as she took in the information. “You pay rent on these places all year round only to visit them once or twice a year?”

                He nodded again. “I’ve had this one a long time,” he admitted. He walked off the walkway and continued to lead her to a garage.

                Elena chewed on her lip. Why here? Why Florida? Easy in and out, she supposed. Especially the Key West. They’d be able to avoid customs. He probably lived right on the beach, with his treasure buried under a palm tree, maybe a treasure map in his home with a big red X leading to his beloved treasure. She snickered as she brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. The more she followed him, the more curious she was becoming though. Were they looking for someone? Did he actually store a car here all year round? He was more of a mystery than she was realizing.

                Nathan Drake was a mystery to her. And maybe, as a journalist, that’s why she liked him so much. There were so many questions. She wanted to ask why Florida, why London, and why Australia? She wanted to honestly know if in each one of these towns, he had a girlfriend. If he chose these towns for specific reasons; maybe family? Did Nate own or rent? Did he have someone watching his place while he was gone? They were endless.

                “Ah-ha,” he exclaimed, breaking her train of thought. “Here she is.”

                It was an older model, green, Honda civic.

                “Seriously,” she breathed.

                “What? It’s got good gas mileage.”

                “You drive a fucking civic?”

                Nate continued to grin as he patted the hood. “No one ever expects it.”

                “No one?”

                He laughed. “Nope.”

                “How many people didn’t expect it?”

                He looked over to her, perplexed. That was not a question that was ever asked. “Huh?”

                “You bring every girlfriend here to Florida?” She was joking. Her tone was laced with sarcasm. She reached for the door, opening it as Nate unlocked the doors.

                He stopped for a second, seemingly thinking about how many girls he had brought to Florida. He got into the car and sat quietly. “Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever brought a girl back…” He answered softly and seriously. It looked as if he was realizing it for the first time and he slowly put the key in the ignition and started the car. “Yeah,” he nodded. “I think you are the first.”

                She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. More questions flooded her. Why was she the first? Was he overly paranoid that he never let anyone into his personal life? Or was he actually so lonely that he had no one to bring back?

                The car was cleaner beyond expectations. And she told him so. All her previous cars and her previous boyfriend had messy cars. She expected candy wrappers, a moldy peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and a half-full bottle of Gatorade.  But his car was clean. He liked it that way. What really surprised her was that when they left the long-term parking garage, he didn’t pay anything. He swiped his pass and drove out. She didn’t ask though. She was starting to wonder who he actually was. Was there more to just the treasure hunter? Was he some illegitimate son of a Senator and got away with everything because of it? Was he actually CIA and did treasure hunting on the side? _Really, Elena? Now your stretching_.

                They had flown into Orlando, so there was a short car ride ahead of them. He drove with one hand on the wheel. The window was down and he smiled as the warm, humid, air ran through his hair. She watched, amused by everything. He had country music on, a saved channel, something she would _never_ have guessed at all. So here was her Nathan Drake. She thought that they’d get here and he’d be driving a Hummer, with hard rock blaring from the windows, and old McDonald’s wrappers littered about the car. But he was driving a civic, cleaner than any car she’d owned, and soft country playing. She would have almost guessed he was playing a joke on her. She’d listened to his music before, and he didn’t play country on his iPod. Maybe he was a split personality type of person… She looked out her own window and watched the cars drive by him. He was even going the speed limit.

                “I don’t have TV,” he said out of the blue. He was clearly trying to start a conversation.

                “That’s okay,” she waved it off. “Do you have internet?”

                He nodded. “Yeah. I just haven’t gotten a TV in a while.”

                “You had one before?”

                He nodded and laughed. “Yeah, long story short, it got broken, so I just didn’t buy another.”

                “That’s vague,” she teased. “Did you break it?”

                Nate laughed. “It’s sort of my thing,” he scratched his head.

                “I just can’t believe that you pay for all this only to visit a couple times a year.” She turned and rested her chin on her open hand as she looked outside. She’d been to Florida once before. When her parent’s divorced, her Mother moved to St. Petersburg, Florida. So, she had been there a couple times before her Mom moved to Norfolk, Virgina.

                “It’s home,” Nate said as he looked at her. “It’s the one place I come back to.”

                That was a very interesting comment.

                Once in Key West, he felt it was necessary to give her a short tour. This made the whole trip more interesting considering he was actually sharing his life with her. He’d never really gone this deep. He told her where he normally went to get groceries, and where he liked to go for a drink. They drove by a beach that he liked to go to, even with a bar on it and sourly mumbled that it was where Flynn had found him.

                “Flynn knew where you lived?”

                Nate quickly shook his head. “Not where, no, no, no!” He put the car in park as he pulled along the curb and turned the car off. “But he knew I lived in Florida, specifically the Key West area.”

                “Does anyone know?”

                Nate shook his head and then stopped. “Not anymore,” he muttered softly, too softly for Elena to hear.

                “What?” She leaned into him to hear.

                “No, just Sully knows.” He opened the trunk and grabbed their bags. “He knows everything.”

                Elena nodded and followed him. He walked casually into a bowling alley, waving at the guy in the shop, and then turned to head up a flight of stairs. She felt as if she should be taking notes. She could write a whole book on the deceptiveness of this man. _A bowling alley_ , she thought as she tried to keep up with him. _Seriously_?

                At the top of the stairs, Nate opened his bag and fumbled to find the key. “It’s in here,” he growled. After a few more seconds, he stood up and unlocked the deadbolt. He turned and looked at her. He looked hopefully, but Elena saw the fear in his eyes. He was opening himself up to her, more than he had to anyone else. He was going to show her everything that was him. She expected there to be things from everywhere he’d been. She wondered if there’d be maps all over the place, and books piled all over. She squinted her eyes as she could imagine a general bachelor’s pad. He’d had basic and limited silverware and glasses. He’d have a worn down couch and probably a card table to eat off of.

                “It’s messy,” he warned as he opened the door and walked in.

                Again, her expectations were destroyed. She followed him in, as he was motioning to shut the door. It was clean, besides the mild layer of dust. It was larger than she thought. He had nice furniture, still looking new which made sense if he’d hardly there. There was a spot for his TV, but it was gone, as she was told. There was a nice shelf against the wall that she stopped to admire. There were only a few books on the shelf and a few items.

                “Not what I expected,” she admitted out loud, laughing at herself. She looked down and noticed a dog food and water bowl. “You have a dog?”

                “Had,” he corrected quickly. “She… She passed away.”

                “I’m sorry. You like dogs?”

                Nate nodded as he leaned against the counter in his kitchen area. “I like dogs, sure.” He scratched his cheek slowly as he seemed to get lost in a thought. “It was…. My….”

                “Your buddy,” she finished the sentence for him. “I get it. I like dogs too,” she smirked. “Sad that our lifestyles just don’t fit a pet’s needs huh.”

                Nate snapped out of it. “Yeah.” Still, the sad memory of his brother playing with the dog plagued his mind. It was his brother’s dog after all. He just didn’t have the heart to pick up her dishes yet.

                He watched as she picked up relics from his shelf and looked at them. He couldn’t believe how beautiful she looked. He opened a window above his sink and pulled back a shade from a second window just to turn back and watch her some more. She moved with such delicate grace. Her motions were smooth, committed, and defined. He could see she was analyzing, thinking, and examining everything around her. Maybe she was looking for flaws, for cracks in his shield. Truth be told, she was beyond his shield, under his armor, in his skin. He didn’t want anything else but to keep her as close as he could, and this was the closest anyone else would be.

                “I like it,” she said as she continued to look around. “A lot cuter than I thought,” she joked as she smiled back at him.

                “Cute huh,” he snickered as he walked towards her. “It lacks character.”

                “Are you kidding me,” she waved her arm about and if she was showing him the apartment. “It says so much! It’s you.”

                “I doubt that,” Nate tried to deflect. “It’s just somewhere to sleep when I am not with Sully.”

                Elena waved her finger with a grin. “The nice furniture says that you have a good income and that you like nice things.” She held up her hand to stop him from arguing. “Which is true no matter how you look at it. And your bookshelf doesn’t have many books, but the titles tell me that you love history and travelling. The knick-knacks are trophies of your travels. Apparently, you really like South America and you either enjoy Native arts.”

                Nate put his hands on his hips and grinned. “You know none of that is true, Sherlock.” He reached over, picking up a gold coin and handing it to her.

                She looked at the coin to recognize it as one of the Spanish coins from Panama. She looked up at him and smirk. “Okay, so you have a couple Native pieces, and one Spanish piece.” She waved the coin at him before putting it back on the shelf. “Why don’t you have more of you then?”

                Nate laughed out loud. “Many reasons.” He reached out, putting his hands on her hips and drawing his head close to hers. “If anyone was ever looking for me, they’d never guess here. You don’t advertise your treasure, you keep it safe.”

                “Then where is all your _hidden_ treasure?” Her words were soft, warm against his lips.

                “Right here,” he whispered in return as his lips pressed passionately against hers.

                And everything probably went as Nathan Drake wanted it to go. But, Elena was still drawn back to her thoughts on everything. There was so much to learn, so much to be had. And there was so much wonder to why he was the way he was. Would she ever find out? Would he let her into the labyrinth that was him?

                She untangled herself from his arms and slipped on some shorts and a t-shirt as she moved to the window. It was open, the smell of ocean wafted in. She could see through the streetlights, the ocean as is gently caressed the soft sands. It was something to fall asleep to, no doubt. Her side ached and she pressed on it with her hand and grimaced. She’d be fighting with this for the rest of her life, what would he be fighting? She looked over to see him sleeping soundly, a blanket only covering waist down, as he snored contently. She wanted that kind of sleep. She ran her hand through her hair and leaned against the window, looking out at the openness. She couldn’t live every day by the seat of her pants. She never knew that. She couldn’t come and go, or not have a dependable income. She didn’t know how he did it.

                “Hey,” a course call came from the bed. “You okay?”

                Elena smiled back at the bed as he sat up lazily and wiped his eyes. “Just things to think about.”

                Nate got up, scratching a healing scar on his chest as he limped sorely over to her. “It’s too late to be thinking of shit,” he muttered. He didn’t even try to find clothes as he walked across the bedroom.

                “Nothing to argue there,” she laughed, quietly.

                Nate wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his naked body. His head sat carefully on hers as they both looked out the window. “If you don’t like it here, we can go somewhere else.” The offer was sincere and she could hear it.

                “No,” she whispered.

                He hummed to himself, now starting to think on his own.

                “I don’t think it’s anything you can help me with,” she whispered, trying to ease his own mind.

                “At the orphanage,” he started quietly. “I could look out my window and just see buildings. The whole city was lit up at night. And I always wanted a place that I didn’t have to listen to cars, people talking or planes.”

                “Just people screaming about the perfect strike,” Elena teased. She turned her head to see him.

                “I didn’t smell the ocean till I was older.” He smirked as he took in a deep breath. “I loved it from day one.” He kissed her temple and looked back out in the darkness. “Then I found out I was related to Sir Francis Drake and I thought it was so ironic that we both love the ocean that much.”

                “I find it amusing that he was a pirate and you’re a thief.”

                Nate chuckled. “I do too.” He took another deep breath, closing his eyes as he smelled the sweet scent of Elena’s hair. “But I think that’s over with,” he sighed.

                “Growing up?”

                “Realizing things,” he admitted.

                _He does think about the future_ , Elena astonishingly thought. “Can I ask what?”

                He hummed again as he thought about it. His arms tightened around her and she felt his lips against her temple again. “That … That settling down and getting married may not be a bad idea.”

                Elena laughed. “It’s a terrible idea!” She pulled from his arms to turn and face him. “Marriage is so boring!”

                Nate grinned. “Marrying you wouldn’t be.”

                Elena felt the blood drain from her face and she stopped moving. She stood there in the window and blinked a couple times. _Nope_ , the little voice laughed in her head. _Still spontaneous_.

                He chuckled at the response and he leaned in and kissed her cheek.

                Elena bit her lip as another 5 million questions ran through her head. Only one escaped to be spoken. “Why me?”

                Nate laughed louder this time. “Because I brought you home.”

                She could either be spontaneous with him, to do something that wasn’t like her, and say yes, or step back and decline at this moment because she needed to understand things more. She could, as she does now, love him for the rest of her life. She knew she would. But was it too soon? Was this radical and exciting man just throwing her off balance enough to capture her heart? He was dangerous, she knew that more than anyone, besides Chloe maybe. He was elusive, a liar, and a thief, but she had never felt love like Nathan Drake. That he was good at. All the people she’d ever been with, including Jeff, never had the exciting and thrilling opportunities. No one ever offered her such a touch, a kiss, or breath like Nate did. There was never a more complicated moment that he could have asked her, and she would have never taken him for the marriage type. Maybe he was overcompensating for something, but she felt as if she was about to jump off a cliff, being baptized in the surf, and never have the same life again. It was terrifying, and yet, it was something she was strangely drawn to.

                “I guess…” she breathed. “I guess that’s a good reason.”

                Nate grinned. He pulled himself to her as he kissed her, softly, gently, and smoothly. He’d never been so sure of something his entire life. He wasn’t a man of second guesses, and he never wanted to be. He knew what he wanted the first day he ever saw her. What he didn’t know would hurt though. And within two years, Sully would find him curled up on the floor. He’d sell the apartment and all of its memories. He’d move everything into storage and leave America, and everything it held in his heart behind. He’d overcompensate for his pain by drowning himself in his imaginary heritage. She’d be the only one that ever knew him, that he’d open up to, that he’d take home. 

                             

               

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this idea in my head for a long time. It isn't exactly what I wanted, but it will do, I suppose. What do you think of it? I've got a few more ideas in my head, and finishing up some other things, so keep your eyes open for some new works.


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